All openings
You're BlackClub standard7 lines
Queen's Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 · D35–D59, E05
Against 1.d4 and 2.c4, you keep your pawn on d5, prop it up with …e6 and build a position that's been trusted from club nights to world championship matches for over a century. It's for players who'd rather be solid than sorry: few traps to memorise, and one clear problem to solve, the bishop on c8.
Three ideas to hold on to
- 1. Hold d5 with a pawn, and let it go only when taking on c4 wins you time.
- 2. Castle first, then hit back with …c5 when you're ready.
- 3. Give the c8 bishop a job: b7, e6 or g4, wherever the pawns let it out.
The lines
Each line ends on your move. Five clean runs, spaced out, and it’s booked.
Tartakower: the main line
4.Bg5 4…Be7
Tartakower: 3.Nf3 and the 8.cxd5 swaps
3.Nf3 3…Nf6
Exchange: the Carlsbad structure
4.cxd5 4…exd5
The 5.Bf4 line: …c5 and …Qa5
4.Nf3 4…Be7
Early 4.Bf4: the isolated d-pawn
4.Bf4 4…Be7
Quiet 4.e3: take on c4 after Bd3
4.e3 4…Be7
Catalan: …dxc4 and …b5
3.g3 3…Nf6